Bridge-guard.



PATENTED APR. 28, 1903. J. S. RICHARDSON.

BRIDGE GUARD.

7 APPLICATION FILED FEB.1 1901. RENEWED FEB. 28,1903.

no MODEL.

WITNE 555:5-

lliarrnn dramas arianr rric JOHN S. RICHARDSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. I

seine E GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 726,348, dated April 28, 1903.

Application filed February 1, 1901. Renewed February 28,1903. Serial No. 145,603. (No model.)

To (tZZ 1072/0122, it may concern.-

- Be it known that I, JOHN S. RICHARDSON, a citizen of the United States, residing in Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in BridgeGuards, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to bridge-guards used on railways to warn brakemen on top of the cars of the proximity of a bridge beneath which the train is about to pass. Bridgeguards as now commonly constructed and known to me are made of strips or pieces of leather and also of wire dependingfrom a cross-support. strips of thin pieces of leather are liable to be rendered defective by high winds and also by the brakemen throwing them up over the ous injuriesas, for instance, the projecting ends of the bent wires are liable to destroy the eyesight or cut the face in a severe manner.

This invention has for its object to provide a bridge-guard not open to the serious objections above referred to and one which cannot be disarranged from its operative position either by the brakemen or by the wind. For this purpose I employ a series of pencils, bars, or rods, preferably of non-metallic material and for the best results of wood or ratan, which are suspended from a bar by a universal joint, which permits the depending rods to swing freely in all directions and which prevents them being thrown up over the supporting-bar. The pencils or rods are made light, so as to avoid injury to the brakeman. Another feature of this invention consists in making the guard vertically adjustable,

Bridge-guards composed of whereby it may be accurately positioned with relation to the tracks.

These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 represents in elevation a bridgeguard embodying this invention; Fig. 2, a detail, on an enlarged scale, to be referred to; Fig. 3, a section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2,1ooking toward the right; and Fig. 4, a modifica- .tion of the support for the bridge-guard shown in Fig. l.

A represents the tracks of a railway, and B two posts or uprigh ts located on opposite sides of the tracks. The posts 13 are joined by a bar, wire, or rod (1, which supports my inn-- proved bridge-guard. The bridge-guard in accordance with this invention is composed of a plurality of light pencils, rods, or bars Z2, preferably of wood or ratan, which are hung by a universal joint from-the under side of a bar or support 0, preferably of wood and provided on its under side with a longitudinal groove d.

In the present instance the pencils Z) are inserted into metal caps e and fastened therein by pins f, and the said caps are provided with eyes g, engaged by rings h, which also engage screw-eyes t', inserted into the grooved under side of the support 0.

The rings h are made of sufficiently large diameter to enable the pencils to be thrown up a sufficient distance to enable them to clear the head of a brakeinan; but said rings prevent the pencils from being thrown over the support a, as represented by dotted lines, Fig. 3. The screw-eycst may and preferably will have passed through them a wire or rod 2, which is secured to the support 0 by smaller screw-eyes 3, preferably one on each side of the screw-eyes t'.

The bar 0 may and preferably will be adjustably suspended from the cross wire, rod, or bar a by flexible connections, preferably chains 4, links of which engage hooks 5 on suitable clamps 6, fastened to the cross-wire a.

By means of the flexible connections 4 the bridge guard may be raised and lowered bodily to secure accurate adjustment of the pencils with relation to the tracks, and thereby insure the guard being properly positioned ICO independent of variations in the distance of the cross support above the tracks. The flexible connections also relieve the guard from strain in violent storms, as they permit the guard to swing in all directions.

From the above description it will be seen that'the pencils cannot be deranged by the brakemen or by a high wind. In Fig. 1 the bridge -guard is represented as suspended from a support extended across the tracks and secured to posts located at opposite sides of said tracks; but it is equally well adapted to be hung from an arm or rod 10, extended over a single track from a post 13 at one side thereof, as shown in Fig. 4.

I may prefer to suspend the guard by flexible connections, as described; but it is evident that the guard may be suspended by rigid means.

The bar a is preferably provided with the longitudinal groove d, so as to protect the connection between the pencils and bar from snow, sleet, &e. but the groove may be omitted, if desired.

I claim 1. A bridge-guard comprising a bar orsupport, and a plurality of rigid non-metallic pencils, bars or rods suspended from said support by universal joints, substantially as described.

2. A bridge-guard comprising a bar or support provided with a plurality of eyes, a plurality of pencils, bars or rods, having eyes, and rings connecting the eyes of the pencils with the eyes of the said support, substantially as described.

3. A bridge-guard comprising a bar or support provided with a plurality of eyes, a plurality of pencils, bars or rods, having eyes, and rings connecting the eyes of the pencils with the eyes of the said support, and means extended through the eyes of the support and fastened to the latter to secure the eyes to the support, substantially as described.

4. A bridge-guard comprising a bar or support, a plurality of pencils, bars or rods depending from said bar, and rings intermediate of said pencils and said bar and forming part of the connection between said pencils and said bar, substantially as described.

5. lhe combination with a support ex tended transversely over a railway-track, of a bridge-guard, and flexible connections between said guard and support which permit the said bridge-guard to be adjusted toward and from the said support, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN S. RICHARDSON.

Witnesses:

J AS. I1. CHURCHILL, J. MURPHY. 

